Lucero sounds like The Hold Steady.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
Rolling Stone gave the Hold Steady 3 1/2 stars - which translates to a 70. That should be bringing down that 91 a bit. Incidentally, it's the same rating they gave Fergie's The Dutchess. I swear those guys are on crack.

What's REALLY funny about that is the fact that the new Hold Steady comes with a sticker saying:

"Damn you, Hold Steady! How can any band be this good?" Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone.

Who gave Fergie's album 3 and a half stars? Rob Sheffield.

Who gave the Hold Steady 3 and a half stars? NOT Rob Sheffield!

Oddities.

Oh, and Sufjan Stevens sounds like Cat Stevens. Really. He does.

Everyone knows one of Fergie's oft-cited influences is Woody Guthrie!

What? You can't see it?

quote:

Originally posted by Yay!:
Everyone knows one of Fergie's oft-cited influences is Woody Guthrie!

What? You can't see it?

I get it. That's where the chorus to "London Bridge" comes from...a Guthrie song!

quote:

Originally posted by philosopherEric:
I get it. That's where the chorus to "London Bridge" comes from...a Guthrie song!

Don't be silly pE. I think Yay's referring to that Woody Guthrie song where he refers to "Lovely Lady Lumps".

Every year there are albums that many find to be wildly overrated. Last year a lot of people thought Illinois was overrated (I didn't, a strong number two on my list after Z).

In my opinion, there is no doubt that there are two albums that are simply fatuously overrated, those two would be The Hold Steady's album and the new TV on the Radio release. Especially the TV on the Radio album, I have never seen such a vehement sign of solidarity for an album that really isn't anything special--maybe I am missing something .

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:

Especially the TV on the Radio album, I have never seen such a vehement sign of solidarity for an album that really isn't anything special--maybe I am missing something .

Return to cookie mountain is a decent album, but not really a top 10 album. But it does sounds like an album of the year... and this kind of album lacks authenticity.

Hold Steady overrated at 15th or so place? Give me a break.

Obviously, the most overrated album is Ali Farka Toure's boring masterpiece, "Savane". I paid $2 for the only two tracks I liked off the album (actually the first and second 'songs' if you can call them that). I really don't have a frame of reference other than Kongotronics, which was completely different than Savane (and much better in my opinion). How many people actually enjoy listening to this album??

Oh, and I know I'm late on this call, but I think "Z" is fantastically overrated. For some reason, I liked this album in 2005 (#12 on tha LIST) but I can't even stand it anymore. What's more, I have two copies of this album at home, and I'm not quite sure why. I guess I bought it twice. I have to say that "It Still Moves" is much better, and other than "Gideon", "Z" sounds like a band of old guys (not necessarily bad) having lots of fun (good) and screaming randomly (not always good) at the expense of good songs (not good).

I think I'm in a harsher mood than normal and I'm not sure why. I'm on a ski holiday in Colorado.

quote:

eggTweedyegg
Know-It-All
Posted 11 December 2006 07:09 AM Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by FragileKidA:

Especially the TV on the Radio album, I have never seen such a vehement sign of solidarity for an album that really isn't anything special--maybe I am missing something .


Return to cookie mountain is a decent album, but not really a

I think there's a lot of people, myself included, who are lukewarm positive about this album...To my ears, RTCM and Serena-Meneesh have a lot of the same strengths and weakness brilliant sonic textures, not enough attention to structural anchors...much of both albums bores me.

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
Lucero sounds like The Hold Steady.

DBT > Lucero

Come to think of it, I'll be seeing both DBT and Lucero live this month. It should be the clash of the titans in my musical head to see which is truly better.

quote:

Originally posted by BContrat:
Oh, and I know I'm late on this call, but I think "Z" is fantastically overrated. For some reason, I liked this album in 2005 (#12 on tha LIST) but I can't even stand it anymore. What's more, I have two copies of this album at home, and I'm not quite sure why. I guess I bought it twice. I have to say that "It Still Moves" is much better, and other than "Gideon", "Z" sounds like a band of old guys (not necessarily bad) having lots of fun (good) and screaming randomly (not always good) at the expense of good songs (not good).

I think I'm in a harsher mood than normal and I'm not sure why. I'm on a ski holiday in Colorado.

I still say that people here kind of overrated Z, but it's very good. Except for "Into the Woods", which is a frakking terrible song! "A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a night of surrender" - bad lyrics already, but did they have to include the sound effects, too?

quote:

Originally posted by Yay!:

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
Lucero sounds like The Hold Steady.

DBT > Lucero

Come to think of it, I'll be seeing both DBT and Lucero live this month. It should be the clash of the titans in my musical head to see which is truly better.

2006 goes to Lucero by a mile.

quote:

Originally posted by BContrat:
Obviously, the most overrated album is Ali Farka Toure's boring masterpiece, "Savane". I paid $2 for the only two tracks I liked off the album (actually the first and second 'songs' if you can call them that). I really don't have a frame of reference other than Kongotronics, which was completely different than Savane (and much better in my opinion). How many people actually enjoy listening to this album??

Your assessment doesn't surprise me, B. I haven't heard the album but I've heard a couple of his and "boring" was the word for them. I saw that it rated highly but I wasn't even mildly tempted to check it out. I'm nobody's idea of an expert on World Music but of the African artists I've heard, he's at the very bottom of the list.

BTW, still digging Summer in Abaddon very much.

quote:

Originally posted by Pulque:
I'm nobody's idea of an expert on World Music but of the African artists I've heard, [Ali Farka Toure is] at the very bottom of the list.

He's much closer to the top of my list. I don't think the songs on Savane are boring at all. To the contrary, I think the songs show a tremendous, diverse range -- e.g., blues (Erdi Yer Bounda), reggae (Savane), furiously-circling fiddles (Hanana), and even Celtic-influences (Fara) -- and are very engaging and exciting. The trick of the album is that Toure manages to guide the diverse sounds into a coherent whole.

I can't evaluate how Toure ranks against other African artists, since I haven't had enough exposure to this music, but judged solely on its merits, Savane is pretty special.

quote:

Originally posted by Pulque:
[

BTW, still digging Summer in Abaddon very much.

Thumbs up to that. When I went to make my 2004 list, I was surprised that I liked the Pinback album the most, but it really is one for the ages. Sadly, when I saw Pinback in concert in late august this year, they played no new songs.

To add to the thread - I've only listened to it 1.5 times, but I don't like the new Clipse album. I can't really say it's overrated though. Given my VERY limited rap knowledge, I'd be safer saying it's just not my genre. The only rap I've gotten into is what my black friend calls "white boy rap"; Kanye, Jay-Z, The Streets, Outkast, Common, etc.
Frankly, listening to rap about snorting coke and gang-bangs kind of embarrasses me, because I just can't relate.

Thursday 'cos there stuff hasn't caught on with me at all.
Corinne Bailey Rae sings as if she is transpiring greatness and forever entrancing her listeners, or capturing them in her hegemony. She's probably a sweet gal but way too immersed in the glory of her own vocals. Her music is kinda pleasant but I would stop with the Billie Holliday comparisons this second.
As in reply to Scott Walker, there is some stuff I like including Cue n A lover loves, some that scares me like Jesse, but all in all, you probably won't here another album out there like his.(If there is similar sounding stuff, do mention it 'cos I kinda dig Scott Walker)

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:

quote:

Originally posted by BContrat:
Oh, and I know I'm late on this call, but I think "Z" is fantastically overrated. For some reason, I liked this album in 2005 (#12 on tha LIST) but I can't even stand it anymore. What's more, I have two copies of this album at home, and I'm not quite sure why. I guess I bought it twice. I have to say that "It Still Moves" is much better, and other than "Gideon", "Z" sounds like a band of old guys (not necessarily bad) having lots of fun (good) and screaming randomly (not always good) at the expense of good songs (not good).

I think I'm in a harsher mood than normal and I'm not sure why. I'm on a ski holiday in Colorado.

I still say that people here kind of overrated Z, but it's very good. Except for "Into the Woods", which is a frakking terrible song! "A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a night of surrender" - bad lyrics already, but did they have to include the sound effects, too?

I felt Z was overrated, but for some reason I really like Okonokos - although it contains 8 or 9 songs from Z and the lead singer (sorry, can't think of his name right now) is kinda off key on a few tracks. But, the live album rocks!

i think the serena meneesh record is solid but they are abolsutly TERRIBBLE live... i saw them at sirens over the summer... triple bogus

I think the Band of Horses' album is totally over-rated. It's really not anything special or different.

What am I missing?

Gotta stand up for Scott Walker's high scores.

"The Drift" is a hard album to assign a numeric rating to precisely because, in presenting such an uncompromised, forceful and complete artistic vision, it dares you to be polarized. How can you give it a 6/10? You can't. To do so is to compromise in a manner wholly inconsistent with the work itself. Personally, I think it deserves a 10/10, without a doubt.

The same goes with Joanna Newsom, if to a lesser degree. Ys isn't my favorite record by any stretch, yet it's so singular as to be irreplaceable. Contrast that with, for example, Hold Steady: B&GIA, a record that, however ably, stimulates the same pleasure centers as do old Replacements albums.

Of those making the Metacritic Top 30 for 2006, I'd offer that these records were overrated:

Clipse: HHNF
Hold Steady: B&G...
Decemberists: TCW
Yo La Tengo: I Am Not...
Beatles: Love
Thermals: TBTBTM
Lupe Fiasco: F&L